I had started a sketch of my taverna (looking down the steps instead of up) the first day but couldn't finish it, so I headed there first to paint before they got the enormous daytime sun umbrellas up. Then I walked on to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It's the first thing I had wanted to paint in Greece nine years ago when I spent the summer here. I did a whole series of oil paintings of it, and it was fun to be back with a different medium. I'm really enjoying revisiting places this trip and painting in different ways. I love the view of the Parthenon through the columns. (I never painted it from this angle before. I was shy of actually trying the Parthenon that first summer -- it felt a little like painting postcards instead of art, but I've gotten over that now.)

The first one was very intricate architecturally and took a good while. I took a lunch break (I'd brought a lovely pear from my hotel keeper in my pack, along with a granola bar) and did a second, much more quick sketch afterwards.

After a nap, I walked the sisters to a couple of jewelry shops I like and then painted a church we'd seen along the way our first day, saying I'd meet them at dinner.

Finally I stayed quite late at my favorite taverna to paint it with the lights. It was challenging, because the light available to me to work in was much lower than I'm used to. Fortunately, I know my way around my palette by now and could mostly mix the colors I wanted without being able to see that clearly. It was fun to be there and hear the roaring of the football match (sadly, Greece lost to Germany in the end) and see the night life going on around me.

Martha, I'm so amazed at how much you are painting! I sure recognize that view of Olympian Zeus : ) and I absolutely LOVE your outdoor cafe at night scene. So beautiful!

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Martha Kelly

7/16/2012 10:17:14 am

Thank you about the cafe scene. I had been invited to hang out with the guys who work there, and it was a good way to stay awake that late. I wanted to try it because I have been absolutely haunted by your night-time sketch of Delphi. Thanks for inspiring me to try nocturnes.

And I figured you'd recognize Olympian Zeus as well. It's such a paintable place. It's the first place in Athens, nine years ago, that just screamed out to me to paint it.

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Martha Kelly is an artist and illustrator who lives and works in Memphis, Tennessee.

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